


Tale of The Trench

by TaliaAlGhul



Category: Aquaman (2018), Aquaman (Comics), DC Animated Universe (Timmverse), DC Extended Universe, DCU (Comics), Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2020-01-12 06:10:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18440645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaliaAlGhul/pseuds/TaliaAlGhul
Summary: Nuidis Vulko reveals one of Atlantis' dark secrets





	Tale of The Trench

**Author's Note:**

> Credit to Marilou for partnering with me on this piece of writing!

**Nuidis Vulko.**

The Hand of the king... though as some would more appropriately title him; the Vizier, stood at the dense coral plated door, offering two polite knocks as he awaited a sign of response. Murk had already informed him that Arthur and Mera had woken at an earlier time, so he needn't fear rousing them from the comforts of sleep. 

"Do enter," came an immediate response, spoken loudly to penetrate the shut door. And one that he accepted on cue to turn the handle on the door, and allow himself into the royal throne room. Before him stood King Arthur, dressed in Atlantis' regal armor that had been fitted onto him just the day before, as well as Princess Mera, in her sequined emerald one-piece. Her signature Xebelian-red hair drifting about the contours of her face as she turned to look at him, framing that porcelain skin and sharp azure eyes with such encomium that the princess looked as though she belonged among the old-world paintings that lined the walls of the Hall of History.

"Fine morning, your majesty. I hope you've had a good rest." With hands pressed stoically together, Vulko offered the king a regal bow.

"Well enough," he replied, wrapping his hands behind his back as he paced over to where the Vizier stood. "I wish to speak to you on the subject of the Fisherman kingdom. King Oopaalong appears to be disgruntled about the state of his people here in Poseidonis. Perhaps you can enrich me on what my brother has done to incur their displeasure?" Just a day before, King Oopaalong had arrived before the presence of the newly crowned king to appeal for changes to be made to Atlantean policies regarding the treatment of members of the Fisherman kingdom. Being worked for long hours in labs and research centers whilst being shown little appreciation wasn't precisely his idea of equality. Being uninformed of the nature of such dealings between kingdoms, Arthur had promised Oopaalong that he would study the matter and get back to him after.

"Your majesty, perhaps you have noticed that the Fisherman kingdom has progressively devolved into a state that is less than man... some might liken them to bearing the characteristics of deep water creatures. At this point, they are so devoid their original genes, they have lost their ability to breathe air from the surface. We know not how much more they will progress or how soon, but it was of King Orvax's reasoning, and followed up by that of Orm, that if they are soon to devolve any further, that their minds be milked for as much as is possible, lest Atlantis misses its only chance to tap into their insight." When Arthur creased a brow at this unmindful statement that lacked the respect he deemed worthy of King Oopaalong and his subjects, Vulko proceeded further to explain, "It would appear that with some of the kingdoms of Atlantis, the process of devolution is inevitable. Just ponder the state of the Trench. Those men and women have degenerated to the point of mindlessness, operating on carnal instincts rather than sentient thought. The Brine is a close second. Aside from their leaders, the general populace have shown incapability of intelligent thought and creative design. That is why they have been employed to menial tasks in the dark caverns that require intensive labor and little thought. Thank the gods that the residents of Poseidonis and Xebel have largely maintained their more humanistic nature, and thus the natural leaders of Atlantis."

"Mmm...." Arthur responded through pursed lips, marinating himself in each nugget of information that was presented to him, attempting to understand the conventions of Atlantis and circumstances surrounding their internal struggles. He had never been a politician, had not coalesced with governing authorities nor even owned a home till more recently - would not be offended if someone pointed out how utterly unqualified he was for the role of king, for he would wholeheartedly concur. However with humble recognition, he acknowledged an aspect of his person that he coincidentally held the advantage over the kings of old, was half a lifetime's worth of experience on the bottom rung of society; to be shunned, neglected and braving the elements in order to survive. A sentiment that rose to surface when Vulko spoke with surprisingly cavalier terms - a trait he had already noticed that was present among the members during the meeting of the inner council. One that had clearly rubbed off on Vulko, and perhaps King Nereus as well. A certain blindness to societal and communal issues that he acknowledged to be a common issue among the upper-class, even among the surface dwellers. A lingering quandary from years past that perchance someone like him could lend some assistance towards; beginning with a theory that he had began to entertain, one that might explain the inconsistencies within Atlantean evolution. "Pray tell me Vulko," he inquired, pressing his hands together as he leaned forward. "As the circumstances of my life have been, I have inevitably been deprived of any full and complete education on the history of Atlantis. But did I once hear you say that before the Sinking, the Trench was once a kingdom enslaved by Poseidonis?"

A little hesitant to reveal the full and complete history of the Trench, Vulko ultimately obliged, hoping that a scant coverage of the tale would suffice, “Do not mistake them for a kingdom, King Arthur. They were never more than a humble gathering – a town, if we are to be generous. In the old days, they were known as Temes; a community of goat farmers and miners boxed in by steep mountains. When the army of Atlantis marched on to lead the communities into unity, a large contingent of their troops are said to have scattered to the caverns within the hills to conceal themselves like cowards. A disgrace to those who had battled to their final breath, though only a handful were fallen that day.” The elder Atlantean shrugged with nonchalance, reciting the events of history with a stolid calm. “So perhaps it was wisdom that bade them to flee, save their lives so they might go on to serve the might of Atlantis. Which is exactly what happened - for it had been to Atlantis’ advantage that when those massive mountains that once surrounded Temes were sunk to the bottom of the ocean, they were broken open, the mineral ore found within became an essential component in the rebuilding of Atlantis. The residents of Temes were put to work dredging each nugget, refining them to materials suited for construction.”

“So it was the citizens of Temes who were responsible for the re-construction of Atlantis?” the king asked, awaiting a response.

Vulko shifted about somewhat uncomfortably before attempting to broach the subject – the Atlanteans did not favor speaking about the Trench. But if the King wanted to know, how could he defy his orders? “I would say that all of Atlantis aided in the re-construction effort, though there were complaints at the time of the tasks not being equal. The residents of Temes being the loudest dissenters – they were displeased by the weight of their role in the mines, in spite of the mines being the most significant resource of their kingdom. So…” The Vizier halted mid-speech, uncertain if such talk should be ripe for the King’s first day of duties. “Perhaps we should move on to other matters, King Arthur?”

Except there was no dissuading Arthur then, too much had been revealed already, and he was beginning to have a good idea of where it was going. “What happened to the residents of Temes, Vulko? I am King, I must understand the history of my kingdom to its deepest depths,” he pressed on with unswerving insistence. Reluctant to back down till he was apprised of the full tale of the Trench.

“You have been supplied knowledge of the rest of this tale, King Arthur – when the residents of Temes became more unruly, they were enslaved to ensure that their work continued without any opposition. You see… there was certain urgency that Atlantis be rebuilt, or many would be homeless. Therefore there was a pressing need for the miners to be at their optimum at all times. Those who refused to comply were imprisoned, and with the swelling numbers of agitators, a towering dungeon was soon constructed in the vicinity to house the insurgents and to…” Vulko picked his words carefully. “…motivate the other miners to stay the course.”

Arthur ran a hand over the contours of his face, visibly displeased by the news. This left his Vizier with some measure of concern. However, he acknowledged that Arthur was still new to the role, and did not yet think like a King – if he did, then he would understand why Atlan had to make those decisions. “Sometimes sacrifices must be made for the greater good, your majesty,” he pointed out, shooting a quick glance in Mera’s direction to judge the princess’ opinion on the matter. He hoped that the new King would consider such factors before resorting to an emotional response to key events that led to the founding of their great nation. “Had more extreme measures not been put in place, the miners’ strike would have crippled the building of the city.”

Mera inhaled deeply as Vulko turned his face to her, awaiting her opinion. She parted her rose petal lips as she pondered her response for a good while. The history of Atlantis was truly not honorable, especially not the exploitation of the miners that had been required to create all this; the palace they were standing inside and everything surrounding it. "It does sound gruesome indeed, and I do not favor the choices our king made way back that time. He had chosen to exploit the power of Poseidonis and urge the miners to work at conditions, far from being reasonable...“ She paused for a moment, glancing over at Arthur, whose disapproving expression had begun to perturb her. Despite her acceptance of those less than honorable events in history, she recalled that as a student, she had shared in those similar feelings of discomfort - wondering if that was truly the cost of being a leader of a nation like Atlantis. "...but if he hadn’t decided to do so, all you are able to see wouldn’t exist. Atlantis would still be in ruins and the people possibly living like wildlings. King Atlan made his choice but opted unwisely, in my opinion. But it’s history now, and we have to live with that fact, because it’s a part of us and will always be.“ 

When Vulko’s gaze flickered over to the Princess, so did Arthur’s. With a deep inhale, she expressed a split view of the situation, understanding the reason for Atlan’s decisions, and yet disagreeing with the means by which it had been carried out. He could be pleased that at least she met him on at least such a point – it would be dismaying to see Vulko standing in support of such a happenstance. Without addressing the Vizier’s appeal for him to understand the necessity for such measures, for which Arthur saw no excuse, he sped on with even more questions. “And when was it that the villagers of Temes began to devolve into what they are today?”

With the posing of the question, Vulko wagered a guess as to what the King was subtly implying, “Your majesty, are you suggesting that…”

“Please answer the question, Vulko. Let me form my own conclusions,” insisted Arthur. Through his younger days, he had developed a high level of respect for the Hand of the King – at a point even looked upon him as a surrogate father after the passing of his own. But as time went on, that image had been gradually tarnished through the revealing of certain information, and the gathering of his own suspicions. In fact, it would come as a surprise to him that he was beginning to understand Orm’s own decision to exclude the inner council from shedding any influence on his decisions. It would appear that the members of the inner council weren’t all striving towards the good of Atlantis; but rather for selfish ambition and profit. No matter how he disagreed with Orm’s opinions of the surface, he had to appreciate that his brother cut right through all the red tape in order to do what he thought was necessary. And as he deliberated the questionable decisions that Atlantis had been constructed upon, wondered if someday he might be compelled to take the same path as Orm.

The Vizier nodded his head solemnly, and proceeded to answer the question. “Some years after the villagers of Temes had been subjugated to working in the mines for extended hours, certain changes to their physique became apparent. It all started with their eyes, they adapted to the darkness of the mines and became somewhat serpent-like in appearance. The next of their physique to be altered were their fingernails, they thickened into claw-like barbs, followed by the development of stubs upon their spines – the beginnings of the tails that they have today. Perhaps it was oversight that we neglected to spend enough time in study before the quake occurred.”

“Quake?” Arthur had not been informed of such an event in Atlantean history, though by Vulko’s tale, it would appear to be a rather significant event.

“Haven’t you ever wondered why they are now called the Trench?” Vulko questioned, and paused for a moment, even though it would have been an entirely rhetorical statement. “In this midst of all the mining, there came a day when the tectonic plates shifted apart, sending all the miners, the dungeons, and the entire village of Temes, tumbling even deeper into the abyss. The trench. Several expeditions were made to retrieve our mines and our workers, except the survivors at the base of the trench opted instead to be hostile and reject any attempt to return them to the main city. Before long, the reigning King simply decided to leave them to their own devices within the darkness… wherein they evolved into what they are today.”

Even though it was the first time that such a tale had reached Arthur’s ears, but what he had heard was merely confirmation of suspicions that had been festering for a while up to that point. He gave out a sigh and turned to the ground in thought. The villagers of Temes had been forfeit due to the self-centered decisions and negligence of those in charge. If he had to guess – having been kept abreast of the tasks that the Brine were currently being subject to, as well as the resultant devolution – Atlantis was making the very same mistake, and now being faced with very similar results. Without any thought or consideration, if they lost the Brine, he would assume that the Fisherman kingdom would then be next. Destroying the peoples one group at a time. It all had to end. That much he was certain of. “That will be all, Vulko,” he said to the Vizier, straightening himself up before him, awaiting for him to depart.

Seeing as he was not needed anymore, the Vizier supplied a bow, reminded him of the gathering that was to occur within a matter of minutes; after which, he excused himself to the hall where the meeting would be taking place.

And as soon as the door was shut, Arthur was left alone with Mera again – no matter how momentary it was to be, he believed that there might be words to be exchanged between them in regards to what had been discussed between himself and Vulko.


End file.
